Texas
Texas secretary of state raised concerns about the federal tool used to flag potential noncitizen voters
Secretary of State Jane Nelson wrote a letter to federal immigration officials in April after the SAVE program incorrectly flagged U.S. citizens.
This permit, common for dry cleaners, is now being used to build AI power plants
Texas regulators are allowing AI data centers across the state to start up thousands of new pollution sources with no public notice or environmental reviews.
How Texas modernized a ‘train wreck’ customer service center
The licensing division of the state’s Department of Public Safety left people on hold, sometimes for hours, until it modernized its systems and broke down siloes.
Crypto kiosks were used to scam $56 million from Texans last year. Lawmakers are calling for regulation.
Fraudsters are increasingly using the ATM-like machines for fast access to money that’s difficult to trace.
U.S. Supreme Court declines request to block Texas’ app age verification law
A federal appeals court had allowed Texas to require app stores to verify users’ ages and seek parental consent before a minor can download apps while litigation continues.
Digital tools connect rural Texans to mental health care
In Bastrop County, Texas, the public health department is implementing a new digital platform to deliver mental health support to rural residents.
San Marcos becomes the first Texas city to ban data centers, testing its local control
As Texas counties have faced hurdles to curb the rapid growth of data center developments, cities could have more success with banning them through their zoning laws, land experts say.
Texas investigates 2 major data breaches
Around 3 million hunting and fishing license customers in the state had their data exposed, according to a recent notification, while another 800,000 cruise line customers had their data breached.
A central Texas Library closing the digital divide
On the edges of a booming metro area, the Martindale Community Library brings mobile hotspots, new technology, and digital skills to an older community.
As data centers seek to tap Texas’ energy, grid regulators are close to approving a new way of vetting requests
The Public Utility Commission of Texas on Thursday will weigh and vote on ERCOT’s proposal to streamline the power approval process for data centers.
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Texas county rescinds its data center moratorium after $100 million lawsuit from developer
Hill County, which appears to be the first Texas county to pass a moratorium, replaced it Thursday with a checklist of requirements for developers.
Big Tech finds a foe in Texas’ robust consumer protection laws and AG Ken Paxton
Paxton is banking on his recent lawsuits against tech and social media companies like Meta, WhatsApp and Discord to win a Senate seat, building on notable victories in years past.
Local Texas officials turn to AI to enhance flood management
The Galveston County Consolidated Drainage District launched a new data system to turn historical and real-time flooding data into predictive analytics.
Texas’ app age verification law allowed to go into effect for now
A federal appeals court allowed Texas to require app stores to verify users’ ages and seek parental consent before a minor can download apps.
WhatsApp, Meta can access Texans’ private messages, AG Ken Paxton claims in lawsuit
The attorney general’s office argues WhatsApp and parent company Meta are deceiving users by claiming the companies can’t view their encrypted messages.
Local Texas leaders believe data center plans may be behind delays to emergency water supply
Across Texas, a booming buildout of server farms is adding strain to water resources that are already stretched to their limit.
Texas county pauses data center construction in rural areas for a year
Hill County commissioners’ split vote to issue a moratorium appears to be a first in Texas.
Texas is giving data centers more than $1 billion in tax breaks each year
The tax break is one of the state’s costliest incentive programs and soon to be the most expensive of its kind in the nation.
New Texas Cyber Command looks to ‘bind the state together’
The command went live in September, and must build an information-sharing and analysis center, a threat intelligence center, a digital forensics lab and an incident response unit.
A new era of data center development is like a second industrial revolution
The rapid rise of artificial intelligence has changed the data center industry and thrust construction of giant server farms into the public eye in a way that’s triggering significant community opposition.
